Chapter 21

As Ethan drove through the quiet streets of London, his thoughts wandered back to Charlotte.

The image of her standing in front of her apartment, the way her eyes flickered with curiosity and her voice carried that subtle note of defiance...it sticks in his mind.

He tightened his grip on the steering wheel, a protective instinct stirring within him.

'Why do I feel like I need to protect her from everything?' Ethan thought, his jaw clenching slightly.

Then a sudden memory tugged at the corners of his mind, pulling him eight years back in time.

**Flashback**

Ethan, in his early twenties, stepped out of a car, his sharp features youthful but already carrying the weight of his ambitions.

The sun bathed the college campus in golden light as students moved about in clusters, their laughter and chatter filling the air.